Author and international raconteur Rick Antonson is one of our favorite people. The former CEO of Tourism Vancouver and Chair of Destinations International, he understands the world of Destination Marketing like few others.

This is gonna be one hell of a great summer for America's lesser-traveled destinations. And that means visitor levels never before seen in many of our communities. But, how will your residents feel about it? 

In a moment of seeming clarity, the President announced a couple weeks ago that deportation efforts would no longer target hospitality and farm workers. That didn’t last long.

Sine Die. It means to adjourn with no plan to reconvene. And, that's what it says today on the webpage of the Florida State Senate. So, Florida’s DMOs are safe…for now.

It was Mike Tyson who famously said, "everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face." And, I get that the President had a plan to deal with undocumented residents of this country...he just hadn't thought it through very well.

Oh yes...let's try something new (despite the fact that the current approach is producing great results).

In those early years, as with most of us starting out in consulting, there was the need to supplement a slow-to-establish client base with some side hustles.

The work we did for the Quad Cities in 2007 to develop a Vision Plan for the community was one of those moments…

So…I begin my path in destination consulting, believing I could do it better …

Understanding the concept of working for yourself instead of a big company.

It was Mayor Paul Soglin who brought the idea of Monona Terrace back to public consciousness.

I was summoned to a meeting with two individuals that I knew held some prominence in the community.

We have clearly moved from an era of good governance.

Coming off the best year the DMO had ever had, my Board offered me a 0.0% raise.

Is it better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt?

I may have understood marketing… but I clearly didn't understand destination marketing.

Like many, I was completely unaware of the economic impact of visitors.

On this day, 30 years ago, I launched Zeitgeist Consulting (now known as DMOproz). On this afternoon, 30 years ago, I sat on my back deck, alone…with a tumbler of bourbon, a cigar and Bad English blowing through the speakers.

A number of us saw this coming a mile away. The New Administration’s stated goal to secure “government efficiency” is starting to filter down to State and Local government.

There isn't a month that goes by that I don't get a request to submit my pitch for a session at an industry conference. When did content selection at industry conferences get so lazy?